Finding Light in the Darkness

Tag Archives: Las Vegas Strip

Today, I am going to talk about two related topics…gun control and gun violence since we are still talking about an issue that really doesn’t have a grey area but the government and pro second amendment supporters believe does. If the sequester happens, a direct effect of it will be background checks for people wanting to buy guns. It will actually cause more problems like the one that happened this morning in Las Vegas, where it started with a shoot out at a stoplight, then a car crash, and finally like a scene out of our favorite action movie an explosion of a cab that ended with three people dead and many injured. I cannot make this stuff up people this really did happen. Police believe it began in a hotel with an altercation that ended with six vehicles involved in the crash with the potential culprit of the explosion a propane powered taxi. This country, since the Newtown shooting that left many dead and many more questioning why no one has stepped in to alleviate the latest string of deadly violence across nations, has marred this country and raised the concern about gun laws and gun control. The worse part is yet to come if the sequester happens on March 1 according to government officials.

With no hope of a deal to avoid sequestration, the looming automatic spending cuts may become a reality leaving many Americans to brace for the worse. If Congress and the president cannot come to a solution about the $85 billion across the board spending cuts that take effect March 1 then the federal background check system for approving gun buyers could face cuts according to a letter FBI officials sent to lawmakers earlier this month. FBI director in a letter told the Senate Appropriations Committee chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) that the spending cuts would cause the agency to furlough more than 2,000 workers which would greatly effects the bureau’s ability to process and adjudicate NICS requests increasing the risk of firearms being transferred to convicted felons and other prohibited persons. In a speech Tuesday, Obama urged Congress to pass a plan that combines spending cuts and tax increases on the wealthy to avoid sequester however the Republicans refuse to raise taxes. And the Republicans wonder why their approval rating is so low…maybe because they don’t really care about 99% of the population who happen to put them into office. Hey I am not a big fan of Democrats or Republicans because let’s face it both parties have made mistakes, but the Republicans are not helping their own cause by protecting the wealthy of this country.

The demand for guns came soon after the Newtown shooting causing background checks for gun purchases to jump to record levels in December according to the FBI. In correlation with the rise in background checks, many gun owners cannot meet the demand of guns causing many to sell out of guns and ammunition. The gun background check is one of many programs that will be hit hard by the sequester if it does happen on March 1. The Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has said his agency would be force to furlough nearly one third of its workers that would cause the meat industry to shut down for up to two weeks for lack of inspectors. Looking at the much larger picture, the sequester could cost the U.S. economy 750,000 jobs by some estimates and up to 1 million jobs by others. What is the government doing? Nothing. Will they do something? I hope so and I hope soon before we all crash and burn due to the inability of the government to act for the people not for themselves. I hope they prove me wrong.